In the confectionery manufacturing industry it was hitherto the practice to cook the sugar masses for processing, to mix them as required, and then to cool them on large cooling tables until their temperature was appropriate for further processing to hard boiled sweets or other confections. Instead of cooling tables, steel belts are also used on which the hot mass is conveyed through cooling chambers. This is an improvement and time-consuming process and requires a considerable amount of floor space and large numbers of workers.